The last two weeks have been a perfect illustration of the life of an internet meme: 1. Somebody makes a thing (in this case, a video called “Shit Girls Say”) 2. Thing goes viral 3. Thing goes really viral, like to the point where your technologically-challenged grandmother has heard about it from CBS evening news or a telegram or something 4. People begin making their own versions of thing (ex. “Shit Black Girls Say”) 5. People respond to the responses... Read more
E! host Giuliana Rancic has been open about her recent struggle with breast cancer and her decision to get a double mastectomy. Now, she tells People magazine that her illness helped to redefine her faith and strengthen her marriage to husband Bill Rancic. “We go to church every Sunday. And we did before, but it never meant as much as it does now. We prayed on our own, but now we prayed together and you’ll never know how much that... Read more
Last week, Katy Perry and Russell Brand‘s split was the divorce heard all over Hollywood. Some outlets claimed that the reason Russell was the one to file the paperwork was because Katy’s religious parents (they’re Christian ministers) don’t believe in divorce and she didn’t want to be seen as the person at fault. Whether that’s true or not, Katy’s folks have been getting more publicity than usual lately. Her parents reportedly said that they were glad for the divorce because... Read more
Yesterday, superstars Beyonce and Jay-Z welcomed their first child, a girl they named Blue Ivy Carter (Carter is Jay-Z’s real last name). While I was more preoccupied with wondering whether Blue Ivy sounded more like a rare plant or a porn star, apparently a bunch of Christians on Twitter thought that the name was clearly a reference to Satanism. When the baby’s name was first reported, several outlets misidentified her as Ivy Blue. That prompted a Twitter topic to emerge.... Read more
It’s nothing new for religious folks to take pop culture and put their own Jesus-approved spin on it, especially if the original version of the song/show/product contains profanity or has a sexual message. The next thing to get the Christian-remake treatment is Nicki Minaj‘s hit song “Super Bass,” which has become “Super Grace.” Check it: Read more
It’s not just about the big five anymore – groups around the world have successfully lobbied for Jediism, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and other pop culture-y religions to get official recognition. The newest addition to this group is Kopimism, more informally known as the religion of file-sharing. Swedish philosophy student Isak Gerson founded the Missionary Church of Kopimism last year as a response to comments that people who shared files online were thieves or pirates. In his... Read more
Actor Matthew Modine, best known for his roles in movies like Full Metal Jacket and TV shows like Weeds, has made a short film entitled Jesus Was a Commie. The film was inspired by a trip Modine took to his hometown in Utah to discover that it had gone from a quaint town to just another victim of urban sprawl. His concerns about globalization, wealth distribution, war, and violence give the movie its social voice. Though Jesus Was a Commie... Read more
In our culture, there’s one quick and efficient way to emphasize that something or someone is horrible: compare them to Hitler. Geek pinup Wil Wheaton, whom I normally find hilarious, was on The Graham Norton Show on BBC America and went off on a rant about the Kardashians, saying, “The Kardashians, to me, are more depressing than Hitler.” Wil’s not completely wrong: the Kardashians are ridiculous and famous for doing nothing, and that is depressing for people who actually work... Read more
Last night, Cee-Lo performed a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” at NBC’s live New Year’s Eve festivities in Times Square. However, he made one small change: the lyric “…and no religion too” became “…and all religion’s true.” Though it may have seemed like a small change, plenty of Lennon fans noticed and began calling out the singer on Twitter. Green tweeted “Yo I meant no disrespect by changing the lyric guys! I was trying to say a world were u... Read more
I admit that I had to do a double-take when I saw this promo for Celebrity Apprentice. Oh, and considering Teresa Guidice and Clay Aiken are both on this season I basically have to watch the entire trainwrecky mess. Read more
Faith Goes Pop
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